The subject matter of this application is generally related to that disclosed in the following applications filed contemporaneously herewith:
Proxy for Video on Demand Server Control, application Ser. No. 09/201,484, filed Nov. 30, 1998 (Bruck et al);
Video on Demand Methods and Systems, application Ser. No. 09/201,495, filed Nov. 30, 1998 (White et al); and
Interactive Video Programming Methods, application Ser. No. 09/201,699, filed Nov. 30, 1998 (White et al).
The subject matter of this application is also generally related to the subject matter of application Ser. No. 09/153,577, filed Sep. 15, 1998.
The disclosures of these related applications are incorporated by reference.
The World Wide Web has made available a great deal of xe2x80x9ccontentxe2x80x9d to computer users having an internet connection. However, such content is not otherwise available, e.g. to cable television subscribers. Moreover, the content available on the Web is relatively impoverished in production and presentation, as compared with sophisticated television productions familiar to the public.
The present invention seeks to redress various of these failings of the prior art. For example, in one aspect, the invention provides a video entertainment system in which conventional television programming and novel interactive entertainment are presented in an integrated fashion, with the user being able to seamlessly switch from one to the other without a disruptive change in context or in production sophistication. Illustrative interactive entertainment includes channels providing customized news, celebrity chat, games, and jukebox services.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following detailed description, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.